Typhon Pact Series

Discussion in 'Trek Literature' started by Jean-Luc Picard, Dec 22, 2013.

  1. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Commander Red Shirt

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    In that case, yes there's quite a bit of focus on the station in Plagues of Night. You'll also really like The Fall: Revelations and Dust in this respect.

    And that's all I can say without risking spoilage!:)
     
  2. Jean-Luc Picard

    Jean-Luc Picard Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Looking forward to it!

    Hopefully Paths of Disharmony will pick up a bit in the meantime...
     
  3. Relayer1

    Relayer1 Admiral Admiral

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    I thought Rough Beasts was great - and so were Plagues of Night and Raise the Dawn, making a fantastic trilogy. I also loved Paths of Disharmony, but really didn't like Seize The Fire and wasn't blown away by Zero Sum Game either.

    I do like Mr Macks stuff though - I adored his Cold Equations trilogy...
     
  4. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    I'm in the middle of the Typhon Pact series myself.

    -Zero Sum Game was excellent. Great action, great story, great world-building of the Breen.
    -the Titan/Gorn novel I basically skipped after skimming a few chapters. Just didn't interest me.
    -Rough Beasts of Empire was interesting and well-written but I really, really, really did not agree with the character choices for Sisko.
    -the TNG/Andorian novel wasn't bad but I just wasn't interested in the Andorian storyline at all, and I didn't like that the Pact is barely in it.
    -I'm halfway through Plagues of Night at the moment and it's good so far.

    It's interesting reading this series because unlike "Destiny" which I was spoiled on I have absolutely no idea how this is going to end. :D
     
  5. tomswift2002

    tomswift2002 Commodore Commodore

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    "Paths Of Disharmony" I actually found to have been the best of the first 4 Typhon Pact books; the other three books, including "Rough Beasts", I found to have had some good moments, but then they got sort of clunky. It was kind of like I was on a road that was half-good, and half-full of potholes.
     
  6. DS9Continuing

    DS9Continuing Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Just to clarify a bit, while Jedi-Ben is correct that Beasts, Plagues and Dawn form an unofficial trilogy, Zero Sum Game actually comes in between Beasts and Plagues chronologically.

    Well, strictly speaking ZSG kinda takes place 'off screen' during the opening segments of Plagues, but if you haven't read it yet, you definitely need to, because its events play into Plagues and Dawn just as much as Beasts' do.

    .
     
  7. David Mack

    David Mack Writer Rear Admiral

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    Another reason to read Zero Sum Game: It provides the narrative setup for A Ceremony of Losses, which will lead directly into my upcoming novel Section 31: Disavowed.
     
  8. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Commander Red Shirt

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    Also, ZSG sets up a great dimension to Bashir's role in The Fall: Ceremony of Losses.
     
  9. Sci

    Sci Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Also, Zero Sum Game is just a damn good book. It's John le Carré meets Star Trek.
     
  10. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Commander Red Shirt

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    It's also very smart where the Breen are concerned.
     
  11. DS9forever

    DS9forever Commodore Commodore

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    I liked seeing the 'Jack Pack' again in ZSG.
     
  12. Jean-Luc Picard

    Jean-Luc Picard Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Yeah, I really enjoyed Zero Sum Game. It sits right behind Rough Beasts of Empire as my second favourite book of the series so far.
     
  13. DarKush

    DarKush Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    -Zero Sum Game: I thought was pretty good. I liked the explanation for the Breen. I thought that was pretty cool. I'm not the biggest fan of Sarina Douglass but overall it was a good adventure for Bashir.

    -Rough Beasts of Empire: This is the book I liked the least. I couldn't stand the characterization of Sisko and I thought the book was an awkward joining of two separate stories, with a dash of the Tzenkethi War thrown in. I would've preferred getting that Tzenkethi War Lost Era novel instead.

    -Seize the Fire: I skipped.

    -Paths of Disharmony: It was a bit of a struggle to get through. I wasn't that interested in the Andorian reproductive situation. Overall I thought it was a decent read.

    -Brinksmanship: My favorite Typhon Pact novel. It was a fast-paced story but did the best job yet of fleshing out the Tzenkethi. I was finally able to get my head around them due to this story.

    -Raise the Dawn/Plagues of Night: Though I thought there were some questionable decisions regarding Sisko again in this duology, overall it corrected the injustice done to the character in Rough Beasts. The story wasn't bad though it takes me a long time to read DRG III lately.
     
  14. Jean-Luc Picard

    Jean-Luc Picard Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    I finished Paths of Disharmony a few weeks ago and felt much the same. I enjoyed it, but I didn't look forward to picking it up and reading more...it just seemed to plod along without much drive or excitement. I only really started to get invested during the siege at the end, by which point it was almost over.

    I'd score it as average overall, but I did appreciate the focus on Jasminder Choudhury. She's probably my favourite addition to the Enterprise crew since Christine Vale.

    That makes it even more frustrating that I accidentally spoiled her death in Cold Equations. I'll reserve judgement until I've read that trilogy, but did we really need another Enterprise security chief dying, let alone another of Worf's partners? Especially a character with such potential?

    Then again, I've enjoyed everything else I've read of David Mack's work so far, so I'm sure it'll at least be a good read. Hopefully her replacement will be a decent choice - I wouldn't mind seeing Rennan Konya step up after his turn in Paths of Disharmony.
    I'm about halfway through Plagues of Night at the moment and I'm really enjoying it. It's great to see more of DS9, and more focus on the Romulans is always appreciated. I'm enjoying the turmoil in Sisko's life as well.
     
  15. DigificWriter

    DigificWriter Vice Admiral Admiral

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    The interesting thing (for me, anyway) about the Typhon Pact novels is that the majority of them have dealt either directly or indirectly with DS9 and characters associated with it, which belies any notion that the DS9 novel line has been 'shafted'.
     
  16. CaptKirk

    CaptKirk Lieutenant Junior Grade Red Shirt

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    I am looking to start this series in the near future. Should I read the DESTINY series first?
     
  17. ryan123450

    ryan123450 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Absolutely!
     
  18. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Commander Red Shirt

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    Most definitely and a couple of the aftermath books would be recommended as well like A Singular Destiny.
     
  19. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I would definitely at least read Destiny and A Singular Destiny, they probably do the most to set up the status quo we see in the Typhon Pact miniseries.
     
  20. DigificWriter

    DigificWriter Vice Admiral Admiral

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    The books in the Destiny Trilogy don't really have any direct impact on the Typhon Pact novels (as far as I'm aware, anyway), but if you want to read them as a 'precursor' I say go right ahead because they're excellent books.

    As far as the Typhon Pact novels themselves go, I think it's imperative that they be read chronologically:
    Rough Beasts of Empire
    Zero Sum Game
    Seize the Fire
    Paths of Disharmony
    The Struggle Within
    Plagues of Night
    Raise the Dawn
    Brinkmanship